National Register of Historic Places

Center City Historic District

Center City, Chisago County, Minnesota
Listed
July 20, 1980
Type
District
Period
Listed
Ref No.
80001996

About this property

Center City Historic District is a grouping of 19 homes and one church located along the east side of Summit Avenue situated on a hill overlooking North Center Lake in Center City, Minnesota, United States. It was listed as a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. Center City became the county seat of Chisago County in the 1870s, during a time of Swedish migration and settlement in the county. The buildings in the historic district include the Chisago Lake Evangelical Lutheran Church, which was the main Swedish Lutheran parish in the area, as well as a number of residences built between 1888 and 1910. The homes have moderate ornamentation and attention to architectural styling details of their period. The Center City Historic District is significant as a link to the Swedish Lutheran population of the Chisago Lakes region during the area's most important period of development and as the county's finest concentration of late nineteenth and early twentieth century residences. When the railroad arrived in the Chisago Lakes region in 1881, the area witnessed significant growth. The residences within the Center City Historic District, housed merchants, tradesmen, professionals, politicians, and retired farmers. They are reflective of the growing prosperity of the region. The Chisago Lake Evangelical Lutheran Church is the second-oldest Lutheran congregation in Minnesota. It was founded in 1854 by Eric Norelius, who founded several other Lutheran churches in Minnesota. Norelius was a divinity student and served for three months before returning to the seminary. A permanent pastor arrived in 1855, and a wood-frame church was built in 1856. A brick church was built in 1881–1883, but it was struck by lightning and burned in 1888. The congregation rebuilt the church immediately, using the masonry contractors as before. The bell was installed in the steeple in 1890, and a clock was installed in 1907.

Location

Center City, Chisago County, Minnesota
45.39415, -92.81676

Categories

EUROPEANARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Everything a full report reveals about Center City Historic District

This page lists Center City Historic District. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
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Nearby Historic Sites

Anderson, Gustaf, House
Industrial
1.3 mi
Victor, Charles A., House
Industrial
1.6 mi
Larson, Frank A., House
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1.7 mi
Franconia Historic District
Listed
6 mi
Munch, Paul, House
Industrial
6.2 mi

Questions about this property

When was Center City Historic District listed on the National Register?

Center City Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 20, 1980.

What type of historic resource is Center City Historic District?

Center City Historic District is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Center City Historic District?

The period of significance for Center City Historic District is recorded as the listed era.

Can I research the history near Center City Historic District?

Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Center City Historic District will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

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